Mexico Trip Part 4: Turtles, Hiking, and Mythical Mexican Creatures

Published 11 July, 2013

Day 5: Turtle Release

Nothing gets the crowd going like a turtle release. Part of Playa Viva being an eco-resort is that they have a turtle sanctuary on the property. One of the perks of being a guest is getting to see the little guys being released in the mornings. When a new batch hatches, they are freed on the beach in front of the resort area.

As soon as they are poured out of the bucket, the race is on. What impressed me most about these little guys is how tough they are. After flailing their way through the sand, they finally reach the surf where they are violently sucked out to sea, spun around in a couples of waves, and sometimes pushed back onto shore. Inevitably they find a way to get some distance from land, come up for a few gulps of air, and push on into the ocean.

Day 6: R&R

We read, we relaxed, we drank coconut water. Ahhh….vacation.

Day 7: Hiking Through the Mexican Wilderness

“Are you going on a hike? You must go up by the lake. The birds are out today.” Julia, the manager at Playa Viva, had been on a hike earlier in the day and was enthusiastically recommending to us a route we were sure to enjoy. You can drink only so much fresh coconut water so we decided it was time to explore the many trails cut through the green landscape. We strapped on our sandals and headed up the trail for an adventure.

The first thing we noticed was that there are a ton of lizards in the area. As we walked along the dirt road, they darted out everywhere. Every 20 steps we took, the bushes would shake and out ran a critter.

We eventually made it to the small lake Julia referred to us and she completely undersold it. The lake and the trees surrounding it were covered in cranes, storks, and flamingos. As we approached, one quarter of the lakes population decided I was too close and began circling overhead looking for a new perch. It was fantastic.

Along the rest of the trail we met a horse that we were later to learn is called “Horse.” We also came across some beautiful mango trees and finally the beast.

While walking through a particularly thick, green part of the trail around the backside of the lake, we saw the beast dart into the undergrowth ahead of us. At first I only caught sight of the hind quarters. It was orange (Brandy description: Red/Gold) in color with fur and had a fluffy tail. It had the build of a medium sized dog but it moved like a cat. I could see evidence of strong muscles as it moved through the forest.

Not knowing how to react, we waited several seconds and continued on only to find another specimen of the same variety ten minutes later. This time Brandy caught full sight of it. She described the face as being halfway between a cat and a raccoon. At the time we labeled it the exotic Mexican cat-bear and went, all be it more cautiously, on our way.

Upon our arrival back at the resort we describe this beast to several of the locals and we were told it was this:

The pictures you are seeing are of a Mexican Tejon. It’s looks like the mix between a badger and a raccoon and it is definitely not what we saw. When we returned home we still couldn’t shake the fact that what we saw was different, so to the interwebs we did go. After about 20 minutes we found our animal.

We immediately sent an email back to the resort and here is the actual reply.

Well, I just showed this pic to Julia and she screamed. These are endangered. The fact that there are any is a very good sign. Serafin saw these about two years ago, we showed the pic to him too, and no one believed him!!!! This is amazing. We are going to forward the pics to David and hopefully get their pics in the book! This is also really great because it means that Playa Vivas preservation efforts are bringing animals back to the area. Yay!!! Thank you so much sharing this!!! -Amy

The animal you see is consider in danger of extintion, jaguar, Serafin the maintenance guy see them 2 years ago, may be the same. It´s so exciting I´ll check more when I walk around Playa Viva. It´s very nice to see that this Jaguars chose Playa viva as their home. -Julia

Although Wikipedia does not show the animals as being threatened, in this part of Mexico the animal’s habitat has been steadily shrinking and sightings have become less frequent. The staff was very excited that all their hard work is paying off.

While we were there a farmer had started clear cutting the land around Playa Viva to make way for cattle. As a result much of the wildlife was taking refuge on the resort’s land. Also, a developer came to look at the property. We had a side conversation with his architect. The developer wanted to put a 200 room hotel further down the beach on the land he owned and the architect was trying to convince him otherwise. As the architect put it, “This is the country. You shouldn’t do that sort of thing out here. It doesn’t fit. It’s not sustainable. You have to build to your surroundings.” Wise man.

In the next post I’ll be showcasing Playa Viva’s solar power grid and will introduce you to Poncho the Frog. Also, I’ll be sharing some of our best memories.